Credit Tips

In the past, we’ve somewhat equated the need for good credit with the ability to buy a home.  After all, in order to qualify for a mortgage, you need to have at least “decent” credit and to get the best rates, you have to have excellent credit. But now the pandemic and things like the…

  The Consumer Price Index indicates that consumer prices have increased 5.4% from July of 2020 to July of 2021.  This means that on average, you are paying 5.4% more for everyday items that you purchase, compared to this time last year. Some industries have been hit even harder, such as housing and automobiles, where…

We’ve all seen the car commercials advertising those insanely low car financing rates like 0.9% or sometimes even 0%, but the fine print will tell you that very few people get those loans because not only does your credit need to be perfect, but you also have to be willing to finance your car for…

Often times, home buyers don’t really stop to think about how their credit scores could be impacting the rate they get on a mortgage loan.  And taking it to the next level, they rarely consider how that rate will truly affect the amount of money that “pours” out of their pocket for the next 5,…

Consider this all-too-common situation… Perhaps you previously had good or even great credit, but the recent financial downturn caused a loss of income in your household, and this forced you to skip or be late on a credit card or two, a mortgage payment, or a car payment.  Maybe now you have recovered and caught…

You’ve seen this scenario play out many times. As you are checking out at your local TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Lowe’s, Best Buy or any other large retail store, the cashier casually asks you if you would like to quickly apply for a store credit card and save 10% on today’s purchase. Or perhaps you…